Mexico series encyclopedia

Republican Cap-and-Rays 8 Reales, 1823–1897

A collector encyclopedia for Mexico’s 1,115 normalized date–mint–assayer–variety records across fourteen mints, with explicit source confidence and publication gates.

Identity is date + mint + assayer + design generation + major variety; no single specimen is a universal die model.

Obverse of 1840 Guanajuato Go PJ Republican Cap-and-Rays 8 Reales — **Representative image — exact identity shown in caption**Exact 1840 Go PJ Guanajuato issue; representative use must be labeled.Windrain · CC BY-SA 4.0

Reverse of 1840 Guanajuato Go PJ Republican Cap-and-Rays 8 Reales — **Representative image — exact identity shown in caption**Exact 1840 Go PJ Guanajuato issue; representative use must be labeled.Windrain · CC BY-SA 4.0

1823–1897Series dates

14Mints

1,115Issue records

189Mint-assayer scopes

Series overview

A national design expressed through fourteen local mint systems.

The Republic replaced royal portrait language with a national emblem and a radiant Phrygian cap. The design’s stability is conceptual, not die-identical: fourteen mints, changing contractors, local engravers, hub replacements, and assayer transitions produced many legitimate local forms.

Collectors therefore begin with the complete identity—date, canonical mint, contextual mintmark, assayer mark, design generation, and major variety—before considering grade, rarity, or price.

Historical context

The series follows the fall of the First Mexican Empire while retaining the real/escudo monetary structure. Federal attempts at uniform dies coexisted with long transport distances, mining recovery, state and private leases, war, French Intervention, restored Republican authority, decimal experiments, and eastern export demand. Those forces explain mint-specific gaps and resumed runs without turning the page into generic political history.

◆27.07 gNominal standard

◆.903Nominal silver fineness

◆≈38–41 mmReference diameter

◆10 Ds 20 GsFineness legend

◆Security edgeExceptions stay issue-level

Design generations

Conservative generations, not a false universal master die.

National-emblem side

The national-emblem side shows the eagle, serpent, cactus, wreath, beading, and REPUBLICA MEXICANA. Eagle posture, wing structure, serpent anatomy, cactus pads, water lines, wreath terminals, and letter punches are mint- and generation-specific diagnostics.

Liberty-cap side

The Liberty-cap side places LIBERTAD on the cap amid rays. Around it, the denomination, mintmark, date, assayer initials, and 10 Ds 20 Gs fineness formula create the essential issue key. Ray count alone is not promoted to a series generation without supporting hub evidence.

1823–1825

Introductory profile-eagle / Hookneck

Mo · Do · Go

Profile-oriented eagle and locally variable serpent posture
Early cap, ray, and LIBERTAD arrangements
Mint-specific hubs; never extrapolate from one specimen

specialist-supported

1825–1848

Early upright-eagle local-die families

A · Ce · Ca · C · Do · EoMo · Ga · GC · Go · Ho · Mo · O · Pi · Zs

National emblem and radiant cap framework established
Local eagle, wreath, rays, lettering, and punch placement diverge
Hermosillo’s 1835–1839 issues form a documented exceptional branch

conservative-series-model

1849–1869

Mid-century regional hub families

A · Ce · Ca · C · Do · EoMo · Ga · GC · Go · Ho · Mo · O · Pi · Zs

Regional hubs and local punches dominate attribution
Durango documents small- and large-eagle transitions around 1849–1850
Political interruptions and resumed Republican dies must be dated by mint

specialist-supported

1870–1897

Late Republic regional hub families

A · Ce · Ca · C · Do · EoMo · Ga · GC · Go · Ho · Mo · O · Pi · Zs

Late punch families remain mint-specific despite a stable national concept
Balance-scale peso intervals create real gaps at several mints
Final issues in 1897 coexist with differing mint closure dates

conservative-series-model

Mint explorer

Fourteen mint programs, each with its own operating record.

One-letter marks are never routed without context. Every card uses the canonical taxonomy mint ID.

Álamos Mint

Casa de Moneda de Álamos

Thumbnail of Representative 1874 A DL Álamos Republican 8 Reales

Representative specimen · 1874 A DL, representative of Álamos mint production; not every Álamos issue. Windrain · CC BY-SA 4.0

Series span: 1864–1895
Normalized issues: 41
Assayer scopes: 6

Republican branch mint; the register begins with the 1864 eight-reales issues and closes in 1895.

registry-plus-specialist

Real de Catorce Mint

Casa de Moneda de Real de Catorce

Verified image pendingNo other mint is substituted

Series span: 1863–1863
Normalized issues: 2
Assayer scopes: 2

The registry corpus records only 1863 eight-reales production. This series-specific record must not inherit the taxonomy record’s older royalist dates.

registry-plus-specialist

Chihuahua Mint

Casa de Moneda de Chihuahua

Thumbnail of Representative 1889 Ca MM Chihuahua Republican 8 Reales

Representative specimen · 1889 Ca MM, representative of Chihuahua mint production; not every Chihuahua issue. Windrain · CC BY-SA 4.0

Series span: 1831–1895
Normalized issues: 94
Assayer scopes: 17

Long-running regional branch mint with numerous assayer transitions and date-punch varieties.

registry-plus-specialist

Culiacán Mint

Casa de Moneda de Culiacán

Thumbnail of Representative 1894 Cn AM Culiacán Republican 8 Reales

Representative specimen · 1894 Cn AM, representative of Culiacán mint production; Cn is the visible contextual mintmark. Windrain · CC BY-SA 4.0

Series span: 1846–1897
Normalized issues: 77
Assayer scopes: 11

The issue corpus preserves C and Cn forms and source-labelled error mintmarks; balance-scale peso years are not filled with invented eight-reales records.

registry-plus-specialist

Durango Mint

Casa de Moneda de Durango

Thumbnail of Representative 1890 Do MC Durango Republican 8 Reales

Representative specimen · 1890 Do MC, representative of Durango mint production; not the exact issue on neighboring studies. Windrain · CC BY-SA 4.0

Series span: 1824–1895
Normalized issues: 160
Assayer scopes: 28

Begins with the 1824 profile-eagle issue and carries the densest recorded overdate and assayer-transition sequence in the registry corpus.

registry-plus-specialist

EoMo

Estado de México / Tlalpan Mint

Casa de Moneda del Estado de México en Tlalpan

Verified image pendingNo other mint is substituted

Series span: 1828–1830
Normalized issues: 5
Assayer scopes: 2

A short-lived corpus of five registry slots; EoMo remains a contextual mark and is never resolved from Eo or M alone.

registry-plus-specialist

Guadalajara Mint

Casa de Moneda de Guadalajara

Thumbnail of Representative 1875 Ga MC Guadalajara Republican 8 Reales

Representative specimen · 1875 Ga MC, representative of Guadalajara mint production; not every Guadalajara issue. Windrain · CC BY-SA 4.0

Series span: 1825–1895
Normalized issues: 129
Assayer scopes: 18

Specialist evidence documents interruptions during the French Intervention and the balance-scale peso interval.

registry-plus-specialist

Guadalupe y Calvo Mint

Casa de Moneda de Guadalupe y Calvo

Verified image pendingNo other mint is substituted

Series span: 1844–1852
Normalized issues: 9
Assayer scopes: 1

Remote short-lived branch mint; specialist evidence dates opening to June 1844 and closure to May 1852.

registry-plus-specialist

Guanajuato Mint

Casa de Moneda de Guanajuato

Thumbnail of 1840 Guanajuato Go PJ Republican Cap-and-Rays 8 Reales

Representative specimen · Exact 1840 Go PJ Guanajuato issue; representative use must be labeled. Windrain · CC BY-SA 4.0

Series span: 1824–1897
Normalized issues: 147
Assayer scopes: 27

Starts with profile-eagle issues and ends with the 1897 Go RS issue; local hub and punch families remain visible throughout.

registry-plus-specialist

Hermosillo Mint

Casa de Moneda de Hermosillo

Verified image pendingNo other mint is substituted

Series span: 1835–1895
Normalized issues: 53
Assayer scopes: 10

The 1835–1836 and 1839 silver issues were omitted from the PCGS composition and are added only from documented specialist evidence; later production resumes in 1861.

specialist-cross-checked

Mexico City Mint

Casa de Moneda de México, Ciudad de México

Thumbnail of Representative 1890 Mo AM Mexico City Republican 8 Reales

Representative specimen · 1890 Mo AM, representative of Republican Mexico City mint production; not every Mexico City issue. Windrain · CC BY-SA 4.0

Series span: 1823–1897
Normalized issues: 124
Assayer scopes: 27

Central mint and the only recorded 1823 producer; interruptions reflect Imperial and balance-scale peso production rather than missing invented rows.

registry-plus-specialist

Oaxaca Mint

Casa de Moneda de Oaxaca

Verified image pendingNo other mint is substituted

Series span: 1827–1893
Normalized issues: 42
Assayer scopes: 6

Series production begins in 1858 and resumes after the balance-scale peso interval, ending with the mint’s 1893 closure.

registry-plus-specialist

San Luis Potosí Mint

Casa de Moneda de San Luis Potosí

Thumbnail of Representative 1863 Pi RO San Luis Potosí Republican 8 Reales

Representative specimen · 1863 Pi RO, representative of San Luis Potosí mint production; no overdate is asserted. Windrain · CC BY-SA 4.0

Series span: 1828–1893
Normalized issues: 117
Assayer scopes: 19

Historical branch mint record, distinct from the modern Casa de Moneda plant; the issue corpus ends in 1893.

registry-plus-specialist

Zacatecas Mint

Casa de Moneda de Zacatecas

Thumbnail of 1884 Zacatecas Zs JS Republican Cap-and-Rays 8 Reales with merchant chopmarks

Representative specimen · Exact 1884 Zs JS host coin with circulation chopmarks retained as documentary evidence. Windrain · CC BY-SA 4.0

Series span: 1825–1897
Normalized issues: 115
Assayer scopes: 15

Large regional corpus with extensive overdates and late-series issues through 1897.

registry-plus-specialist

Assayer explorer